


The Truth Hurts

by ChibiBreeby



Category: NG (Visual Novel), 死印 | Shiin | Death Mark (Visual Novel)
Genre: Eventual Relationships, Gen, M/M, Not Beta Read, Short, Summary Format
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-21
Updated: 2021-02-21
Packaged: 2021-03-18 23:42:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,290
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29617278
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChibiBreeby/pseuds/ChibiBreeby
Summary: Akira really needs to learn to speak the truth, lest he loses what is most important to him.
Relationships: Amanome Seiji & Kijima Akira, Amanome Seiji/Kijima Akira, Hazuki Kaoru & Kijima Akira
Kudos: 7





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I have had this idea running around in my head for a WHILE, and as I was describing what I had to my wife, I really liked how it came out. I'm putting this on complete for now, as I do not have any idea on _how_ to complete it.
> 
> Regardless, I hope you all enjoy this as much as I did. I'll come back to it, I know I will. I have been hyper-fixating on it. :D

Akira Kijima, is an idiot, as you know. A strong, reliable, punk/goth idiot.   
And he's stuck with his best friend getting him into situations that are very illegal and also annoying.  
In this case, Seiji has entrusted Kijima with another illegal weapon. Some sort of gun that...really looks like it's extra dangerous if in the wrong hands.

"Sorry buddy, but I need you to hold onto this for a few days. Just until things die down. Stupid rookies don't know how to handle shit these days."

Fine, whatever, but he's not letting it go anywhere near Ami or Aunt Natsumi.  
He's taking the long route home; he doesn't want to get caught by cops on a random chance taking the quick way. Knowing his luck, that's exactly what will happen, and it’s the last thing he needs right now.  
Welp, his luck STILL is not on his side, as he's fuckin jumped. They talk some shit about being from a rival yakuza clan and how he’s trespassing on their turf, and Akira really couldn’t care less. He easily beats the shit out of these fuckers, after getting knocked over the initial hit, but other than that, he makes it home in one piece… 

Except the gun is gone.

Akira pats himself down, and runs out to see if it fell out of his pocket outside. No luck. It’s completely gone. Probably fell during the beatdown he gave those punks. 

Shit. It's too late to go back out now, and the cops are probably still in the area.  
What’s a guy to do? Wait until tomorrow evening to search. Luckily it was not a populated district that he had gone through. Not anymore at least. So it shouldn't be too hard to go back and look.

Next day, after doing some errands with Ami and watching the Black Rabbit for Aunt Natsumi, he makes his way out. He's in a sour mood because   
1) he has to go back out of his way to look for this thing. (He knows Amanome will give him HELL if he doesn't have it)   
2) It's a blistering summer, and the heat is agitating him   
3) Some asshole tried to con him twice while they were out doing errands and he does not appreciate someone trying to mess with them while he's with Ami.

As he leaves, he walks into some random school girl. She looks like some prissy thing, and she has a face that's forgettable. Seems like she's taken aback at the sudden exit Akira makes. She opens her mouth to say something, probably to apologize, but to be honest Akira doesn't give a fuck, and just breezes past her, not giving her another glance.  
As he's on his way there, who does he run into, but Seiji, holding a small bag which sounds like it has some nasty drinks inside.   
"Sup buddy, where you headed in such a nasty mood, hm?" Shit. Akira isn't sure what to say, can't tell him he lost the gun. Nope. 

"Got jumped last night, and lost my wallet. Gonna go see if I can find it." Not the worst lie, but still. Seiji gives him a once over, as if he can tell that something is up, but just shakes his head. 

"You? Getting jumped? The world must be ending, or you're losing your edge." His face goes twisted for a hot second. "Should we test that theory Akira?"

The brunette rolls his eyes and just walks past him. "Don't go into comedy Amanome. You can bug me later, I want to go find it before it gets dark, so I'll meet you at the black rabbit."  
Should be the end of that. Amanome will go to the Black Rabbit, attempt to flirt with Aunt Natsumi, and then after he finds the gun, it'll be like nothing ever happened.

...Except Amanome spins around and follows him, slinging his arm over Akira's shoulder. "Nah, I was hopin to see your face with this new drink, and it'll be quicker if I helped you look. You're hopeless without me." He snarks, and suddenly Akira is screwed. Welp, can't back out of it now. If he tries, the other boy will get suspicious, so here's hoping he finds the gun first.

By the time they get there, it's dark. The sun has pretty much set, and Akira has to use his flashlight to see the ground.

"Why the hell were you out in the middle of bumfuck, Akira?" Amanome questions, and Akira just glares at him.

"Probably because you pawned a certain item on me late at night and I didn't want to get stopped by the cops." Amanome just hums in response, and Akira doesn't have to look at him to see the smirk on his face.  
So they search the area, looking for both a not missing wallet and a gun. Sadly for Akira, he doesn’t find the gun. 

Only place he can think of is that it might have skidded somewhere near the old building that looms behind them, and he doubts that Amanome will believe him if he says it's there, but he tries anyway. Akira makes his way over and searches around, and something compels him to open the door and look around.

"Akira, I doubt that your wallet is in there..." Seiji calls from behind him, and Akira realizes that Seiji is probably spooked because of it being...well, abandoned for starters, and the possibility it's haunted. The gun probably isn’t inside, but Akira pushes forward.

"Some of the pricks that jumped me might have came from here, so I'm checking to see if I can find anything." Akira is impressed with himself for that lie, and it must be good if Seiji manages to follow him, albeit not at a quick pace. 

The building is...for the most part, empty, save for some old ratty furniture that looks like it could have been expensive at some point.

"I'll wait here, keep lookout, you can go search or whatever, but keep it quick." Amanome snaps, and glances around warily. Akira nods his head and makes his way into an adjacent room. Again, the building is...old. Yet the furniture doesn't make sense for the area. It's western, and some of it looks like it has brass init. Not exactly run of the mill. Suddenly, there's a cold wind from an open window, and the door behind him slams shut. He spins around to see if he's being had, but no one is in the room with him.

He's about to continue his search once again, but it's Amanome's shout that causes him to rush to the door. He tries pulling it open, but the hard slam must have jammed it. He rams into it, and after a few good shoves, it finally breaks off the hinges, and Akira rushes out to find Amanome on the ground, close to the floor, hands grabbing at his head, some rubble around his body.

Shit.

"Amanome, what happened?" He asks, and gets the other boy to his feet. Seiji is cold to the touch, probably because of the cold wind that had rushed through, and he tries to swat Akira away at first, but then when he finally looks up, relief washes over him. Then, the panicked annoyance.

"Damnit Akira, I'm not staying here. Damn place is a death sentence." He gripes, and starts to make his way out the door. "Hurry up and find your damn wallet on your own, I'm waiting out here." The yakura heir starts to storm out, and Akira rushes after him, seeing the stagger in his step.

"Dude, whatever just happened is not my fault, but we can go. I found my wallet, it was in a drawer in the next room over." He lies, flashing his wallet as proof. He'll have to find the gun another time. He helps Seiji, who protests at first, before they make their way out. He doesn't notice the other boy look back, or the flash of something dangerous on his face, but if he had, he would have realized sooner that something was very...very wrong.


	2. Chapter 2

Next day, Akira doesn't see Amanome. Probably still dealing with both the aftermath of whatever his rookies had done and from the incident the night before. Figures, it'll give him more time to actually look for the gun.

He doesn't get the chance, as something pops up at Aunt Natsumi's job, and she needs Akira to watch Ami and the Black Rabbit for her. Great, well it gives him time to think on his options, and Ami does her best to calm her big bro, but he still feels antsy not being able to do what he needs to.

As he leaves, once Aunt Natsumi is home, he's dead tired, having mostly been stuck at the bar and bored out of his mind. This time, there's a gentle call of his name. "Excuse me, you're Kijima, correct?" He turns to see...a school girl. Didn't he run into one yesterday? Whatever, he really does not have the energy to be dealing with whatever it is she wants.

"Do I know you?" He asks her, not bothering to hide his annoyance, and she shakes her head. Great, some random person asking for his attention. As she opens her mouth again, he cuts her off. "Look, whatever it is you want, I really don't have the patience or energy to deal with it. So if I were you I'd piss off now before some fuckin creep sees you." With that, he turns the opposite direction and heads back to his apartment. Really, you'd think the girl would have changed her outfit before nightfall. Besides, who wears their uniform in the summer besides prep school students? Whatever, out of sight out of mind. He makes his way home and after a quick shower, collapses on his bed.

Finally, the next night. The day had been boring, uneventful. He used that to take some time to bring actual supplies for his second trip to the abandoned building. Something was telling him there was more to it and meets the eye. And even better, he’s making this trip alone. 

He had sent a text to Amanome to check in, but the other had just sent some random ass cryptid message. _"Don't worry, you'll see how I'm doing soon."_ Knowing Amanome, he's probably going to try some stupid prank to pull on him later. Whatever, the important thing is, is that he needs to find the gun now.

The building looks even more broken and worn down than it did the night before, which he isn't quite sure how, but figures it was because he hadn't gotten a proper look the first time around, since his focus had been on finding the gun and keeping Amanome from discovering what they had been truly there for.

He makes his way inside, flashlight turned on, and moves around slowly. Whatever had hit Amanome could possibly land on him as well, so it's better to be cautious. Pushing further into the back room, he is greeted with what could have been a lavish sitting room. 

On one wall is a ripped family portrait. The people living here prior must have been loaded. From what remains, he can see they are wearing more traditional outfits, a family of a mother, father, and their child. The faces have been ripped out, and so it's impossible to tell what they had once looked like, not that Akira really cares. It's not why he's here. After a couple more minutes of searching, he's starting to think this place is more trouble than it's worth, so he turns around and is ready to dip.

He makes his way out of the room, heading back to the front entrance. As he's about to open the front door, a _very_ familiar giggle sounds behind him.

_"Hey buddy, leaving so soon?"_

Akira spins around, and there in the doorway to the room he had just been in, stands Seiji Amanome.

What the fuck?

"Amanome??? What the fuck...what are you doing here? How did you even get here???" Was this what his cryptid message had meant? Fucking shit, little prick got him good. Seiji just lets out a chuckle, and gives him that twisted look of his.

"You should see the look on your face! I don't think I've even seen you make that kind of face before." Seiji's chuckle turns dark, and Akira is about to tell him off when he suddenly realizes something.

"Oi...Amanome. How did you know I was here?" Akira asks his friend. Amanome's laugh dies down, but his sadistic look doesn't leave his face. Instead, he looks even more dark, and Akira realizes too late that something was seriously wrong.

"Oh Akira~ Did you really think that I made it out of this place in one piece?" Seiji's voice is hushed, and it's then that Akira is thrown backwards, hitting the door hard, head slamming with a loud crack.

Akira's vision swims, spots dancing in his vision. He watches as Seiji makes his way towards him, and Akira can't make out his face. It's...fuzzy, like someone scribbled it out with a marker.

Akira shoves himself off of the door, his world still spinning, and realizing that this was not Amanome, or at least, Amanome was not acting like himself, he does the only thing he can think of doing.

He throws a punch at Amanome.

He knows that it should have connected. Hell, even disoriented, it should have clocked Amanome right in the jaw. Amanome was not one for fighting with his fists. So seeing him grab his fist and hold it tight just proved to Akira that this was definitely _not_ his childhood friend.

AmaNOme chuckled again, and with a speed Akira wasn't prepared for, they leaned in and whispered. "Considering what you've been through, you should know that throwing punches never work on the dead. Or are you actually a neanderthal?"

Akira jerks his head back and AmaNOme lets him go, the grin on their face not fitting.

"Honestly, you really should have paid attention sooner. This all could have been avoided. Yet you choose to ignore me." AmaNOme shakes their head in mock sympathy, but Akira just snarls.

"What have you done with Amanome? Get out of his body." Akira growls, and AmaNOme gives him a level stare.

"Oh, you want him back? Fine then, I'll give him back, but I want you to do what you haven't these past few days:" With that, AmaNOme's face goes dark, and Akira realizes that his face is fuzzy again.

**"Tell me the truth."**

Akira has no idea what the truth is, and gives the ghost a quizzical look. The ghost just sighs, and once again, AmaNOme's face is back, giving him an annoyed look. "You really don't know what I'm talking about? Honestly Akira, you're definitely hopeless without me. There's no brains up there for you to think with." Then, another gust of wind shoots forward. It’s stronger this time, that as Akira is knocked backwards, the door breaks upon impact. He's flung out of the house completely, back hitting the pavement hard.

That...really took a lot out of him, and the last thing Akira sees before his vision fades is the scribbled out face of the ghost in front of him, wearing Amanome's body.

**"Don't worry, buddy, I'll make sure you remember soon~"**


	3. Chapter 3

Akira wakes up the next morning in his bedroom, sore and confused. It takes him longer to gain his bearings, but when he does, he hears his phone go off. It's a text from...Amanome...wait...

He opens it, and sees the message asking where the hell he is, because he and Hazuki are at the Black Rabbit waiting for him.

As he's about to respond, the memories from last night flash in Akira's mind: The old building, Amanome, and the scribbled out ghost possessing him. 

Akira feels a wave of dread was over him. He throws on the first pair of clothes he sees, and rushes out of his apartment towards the Black Rabbit, going as fast as he possibly can.

When he gets there, he bursts through the door, chest heaving. Ami and Hazuki are sitting on the bar stools chatting about something, while Aunt Natsumi smiles and cleans the counter. It is there, sitting besides her...a grin on their face as they try to once again, unsuccessfully flirt...

Is Amanome.

Akira sees red, and before he can think about it clearly, he’s stormed over and has grabbed Amanome by his shirt collar, snarling.

"You have a lot of nerve showing up here.” 

"Akira?!"

"Big Bro, what are you doing??"

Cries from the girls cause Akira to falter slightly, and Amanome grips at his wrists in protest, trying to pull him off.

"Oi, Buddy, what -ack- what gives?" He tugs at the hand on his collar, and tries to push Akira away. "Let go of me you brute!"

Akira frowns...this was not what he expected, at all. This couldn't be Amanome. Not after what he saw last night. His grip loosens as Hazuki grabs his shoulder, and Amanome takes this chance to free himself, coughing.

"Akira, what was that for?" Hazuki asks him, and Aunt Natsumi offers Amanome a glass of water, which is accepted gratefully. Akira never lets his eyes off him, expecting Amanome to slip up, even a tiny bit, but nothing happens.

"Akira!" Akira shakes his head hard, and goes to shrug Hazuki off of him.

"I thought...ugh, nevermind. I'm just overtired." Akira says, and grabs his head. Perhaps the night before had been just a messed up dream. 

"Overtired isn't an excuse to grab at me, you know." Amanome says, his voice raspy, and he takes another sip of water. Akira scoffs, and gives an apology to four of them, and the group chats, finally getting to their business they had planned to do.

A little while later, as the sun is setting, Hazuki is the first to leave, having something Momo Kuruse related to get to. Ami falls asleep shortly after, so Akira and Amanome take this time to head out, leaving Aunt Natsumi to tend to the bar and a sleeping Ami.

As the pair make their way towards the station, it's quiet between the two. Amanome is probably still salty at the fact that Akira had lunged at him like a madman earlier, and well...it'd be better to tell him his reasoning now than to deal with his attitude later.

"Look, 'm...sorry I grabbed you earlier." Akira gruffs out, and Amanome says nothing, only raising a brow, which Akira takes as his cue to continue. "Just, had a really fuckin weird dream. I thought you were possessed or some shit, and I didn't want to take any chances." 

Akira kicks at the pavement as they walk, feeling...awkward at this whole scenario. He doesn't normally apologize for shit, mostly to Ami if he knows he did something wrong. Apologizing to Amanome is...just strange.

Amanome hums, and continues to walk alongside him for a moment, pondering something, before he lets out a chuckle.

"See, telling the truth isn't so hard, now is it?"

The way Amanome says it causes Akira to stop in his tracks. Amanome keeps on walking, humming a tune along the way.

No...no no no no...

"Amanome...?"

"Just keep telling the truth, Akira, and this will make things go so much smoother." Amanome stops and looks back at him, that twisted grin returning. 

**"Unless of course, you want to watch me die?"**

**Author's Note:**

> Come yell at me over on tumblr:
> 
> chibibreeby.tumblr.com


End file.
